Allan Leighton appointed chairman of C&A

City grandee Allan Leighton has been appointed chairman of C&A, the fashion retailer that quit the UK almost 20 years ago but operates more than 1,500 stores worldwide.

Mr Leighton is currently chairman of Co-operative Group and made his name as the chief executive of Asda in the 1990s, working with Archie Norman to restore the supermarket group’s fortunes before selling it to Walmart in 1999. He has also chaired Royal Mail and Danish jewellery group Pandora.

C&A, named for the initials of its founding brothers Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer, is still controlled by the secretive Dutch-German family via Cofra, a Swiss-domiciled holding company.

It once operated more than 100 stores in the UK but withdrew from the market in 2001 citing mounting losses and lack of scale. The group’s Avanti menswear and Rodeo tracksuits were mocked and even turned into a song — “Man at C&A” in the 1980s.

But the group now operates in markets from Poland and Tenerife to Brazil, Mexico and China, and is a champion of issues such as fair wages and sustainable materials.

Mr Leighton described C&A as “one of the most sustainable, reputable and enduring retail brands” and said he was looking forward to “working with the team to help the business realise its fullest potential”.

He will replace Martijn Brenninkmeijer, a sixth-generation member of the family. Alexander Birken, chairman and chief executive of privately owned German mail order group Otto, will also join the board.

Last year German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that the family had considered selling the company amid growing competition from larger brands such as H&M and Zara.